ART WITH HEART; Kids Healing Through Creativity is nonprofitbased in Seattle, WA. Their recently developed product, Draw It Out, is a strength-themed workbook designed to as a tool for children to express their innermost thoughts and feelings. This workbook helps promote social and emotional growth in all children, and is an excellent resource for promoting self-reflection in an elementary classroom. Draw It Out is especially beneficial for children who may have experienced (or experience with regularity) high levels of trauma. I recommend this workbook as a tool to promote the social and emotional growth of all children in your classroom, particularly the well being of a grieving child.

Draw It Out aligns beautifully with an elementary literacy program because each page involves the pairing of written responses by the child, with purposefully created illustrations. There are prompts, thought-starters, and spaces for children to respond to thoughtful and self-reflective questions.

You can order your copy of Draw It Out, or learn more about other tools and programs available by linking to artwithheart.org:

"Art with Heart is a nonprofit based in Seattle, WA, dedicated to supporting the emotional well-being of children adversely affected by hardship, using creativity to lead to inspired possibilities. Since 2002, we have created healing, therapeutic books that bring together the best in therapy with the best in illustration to help children and teens facing distress and hardship. We offer trainings and programs to help children locally as well.

We believe that despite the many challenges children and teens face – illness, rape, divorce, separation, grief – their hearts can mend and they can thrive once again.

Our well-researched and evidence-based methods allow them to express their pain and their power so they can move beyond hardship and uncertainty to a lifetime of confidence and courage, so they can re-write their future."- ARTWITHHEART.ORG